Views expressed in The Advocate’s opinion articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the views of The Advocate or our parent company, Equal Pride.Sunday’s Pride events in New York City ended abruptly in chaos after fireworks were mistaken for gunshots, causing mass panic throughout the West Village.
It suffices to say that Americans are anxious these days. And with good reason.This is especially the case for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ folks as the rate of hate crimes continues to rise in the U.S.
and around the world. In 2021, violence against trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming folks had reached an all-time high, with 57 violent deaths reported that year.
In 2022 there have been at least 17 violent deaths in that population. This comes in a year when at least 340 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been proposed by Republican state legislators.